It’s official, New York: the end credits for AMC Kips Bay 15 finally have a date.
After months of rallies, community board meetings and plenty of neighborhood heartbreak, AMC has confirmed that its 15-screen Second Avenue multiplex will go dark on Sunday, January 3.
The news came straight from the top.
In an open letter to New Yorkers, AMC CEO Adam Aron set the final date and made one thing crystal clear: “AMC Theatres does not want to go. Not one little bit.”
When we first reported the closure back in August, AMC would only say the theater would keep running “until the end of 2026.”
Now there’s a firm last day, and it’s a lot closer than it sounds.
The final showtime is January 3
According to Aron’s letter, the theater has to wrap up by January 3 to comply with its terminated lease, “a mere two and a half months from now.”
That gives Kips Bay regulars just over two months of popcorn, recliners and big-screen nights before the lights go out for good.
The theater at 570 Second Avenue first opened on May 14, 1999, and it’s been a go-to for East Siders ever since. So that’s more than 27 years of opening nights, date nights and rainy-day matinees.
If you’re planning a farewell visit, sooner might be better than later. One theater employee told Washington Square News that the basement level is expected to close sometime in November.
AMC says it wants to stay
The closure isn’t AMC’s idea. The building’s owner terminated the lease ahead of an expected sale to NYU Langone Health, which is planning to expand its medical facilities in the area.
Aron’s letter says Kips Bay isn’t some struggling location quietly fading out. On several days this past summer, it ranked among the 10 most attended AMC theaters in the entire country, out of more than 500 nationwide.
AMC says it pitched a few alternatives to NYU Langone, including building up the low-rise property to fit both a medical facility and a theater, or keeping a smaller theater on site.
According to Aron, none of those ideas went anywhere.
“Time is short,” Aron wrote, calling on the hospital to find a solution that gives Kips Bay “BOTH” world-class medical care and a working movie theater.
The letter was released through Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal’s office, who said in a statement that any plan for the site should include “a movie theater, a supermarket, and housing.”
What NYU Langone says
NYU Langone sees things a little differently.
In a statement to West Side Spirit, the hospital said it has been a “good neighbor for many years” and is “focused on meeting the health care needs of the Kips Bay community.”
It said the site’s owner first approached it about a sale, and that AMC had agreed to lower rent in exchange for a mutual right to end the lease.
The purchase is still under contract and isn’t expected to close until early 2027. NYU Langone has said it will share more about its plans for the lot once the deal is final.
What it means for the rest of Kips Bay Plaza
The theater isn’t the only thing locals are keeping an eye on.
Kips Bay Plaza is also home to a Fairway supermarket, which neighborhood groups call a daily lifeline. Fairway’s lease runs through 2032, according to Assembly Member Keith Powers, so it isn’t going anywhere just yet.
Neighbors aren’t done fighting, either. The St. Vartan Park Conservancy is working with local advocates on another event urging NYU Langone to keep the theater open, according to local reports.
Where to catch a movie after Kips Bay
Once Kips Bay closes, East Side moviegoers will likely head downtown to the AMC on East 19th Street or the Regal at Union Square.
And if you’re ready to branch out, our guides to the best movie theaters in NYC and the best arthouse and indie cinemas are a great place to find your next go-to.
For now, the countdown is on. Grab a bucket of popcorn and give Kips Bay the send-off it deserves while you still can.